George Christopher Willis

George Christopher Willis was born in 1889 in Toronto, Ontario and affiliated with the exclusive brethren. A biographical excerpt at STEM Publishing, written by his daughter, Frances Mary Willis, indicates that he accepted Christ at a young age, and being influenced by China's Millions from CIM, he studied engineering at McGill University, then proposed to Jean Ogston Malloch with "will you go to China with me?" (vs. "will you marry me?").

They left for China in 1921 and while living in Kuling, in Northern China, meeting some liberal Christians he had the idea of starting a bookshop, which he did in Shanghai in 1924, known as the Christian Book Room, which supplied ministry resources to many laborers, including Billy Graham's maternal grandparents.

George and his wife were interned by the Japanese during WWII, then returned to Canada for a short furlough before returning to China where they remained until retiring to Canada in 1967, and died in 1973. The bookshop continues in Shanghai, with others of his books reprinted in Hong Kong via Bible Light Publishers. Some of CBR's historical posters can be seen at CCPosters.

They had four children, including Dr. G.C. Willis who studied medicine at McGill University, the alma mater of his father's, graduating in 1948, and died in 2012 at 89. More on Dr. Willis here. Dr. Willis' eldest son, Dr. George Christopher Willis, Jr. is an internist in Singapore.

In 2010, W.A. Willis, a descendant, self-published Unless a Grain of Wheat, a biography of G.C. Willis' life on Lulu.com. Links for both paperback and Ebook below.

Contents

Writings

G.C. Willis

• Hid Treasures: A Few Hid Treasures Found in the New Testament
  • @ STEM & BTP (Hb, Pb)
    • pp: Christian Book Room, Kowloon, H.K.; German edition: Verborgene Schatze im griechischen Neun Testament @ Lychen Daniel-Verl, 2005.
• Beautiful Grace: Meditations on the Epistle to the Galatians
  • @ STEM & BTP (Hb, Pb, and/or audio)
  • German edition: Wunderbare Gnade Gedanken über den Galater-Brief. Neustadt Ernst-Paulus-Verlag, 2019.
• Certain Victory booklet
  • @ BTP
• Genesis: The Book of Beginnings
  • w/ Archie C. Groth
  • @ STEM & BTP (Hb, Pb, Mobi, Epub)
• I Was Among the Captives: Life in a Japanese Concentration Camp
  • @ BTP (Pb)
    • pp: Bible Light Publishers, H.K.; Woodbridge, N.J.: Gospel Book Room, 1946.
• Lessons from Jonah the Prophet
  • @ STEM & BTP (Hb, Pb)
• Mr. Chiang's Search booklet
  • @ BTP
• Sacrifices of Joy: Meditations on the Epistle to the Philippians
  • @ STEM & BTP (Pb);
    • German edition Freudenopfer Betrachtungen über den Brief an die Philipper. Neustadt Ernst-Paulus-Verlag, 2013.
• Seven Feasts of Jehovah
  • @ BTP (Pb)
    • pp: H.K.: Christian Book Room, 1957.
• Tales of a Grandada, Unpublished, 1956.
• The Feasts of Jehovah
  • @ STEM
    • supplemental chart @ BTP
• The Incomparable Pearl, aka Die unvergleichliche Perle
  • German edition: Neustadt Ernst-Paulus-Verlag, 2019.
• The Law of the Leper
  • @ STEM & BTP (Hb, Pb, Spanish)
    • optional English or Spanish illustrations set also available @ BTP
    • pp: Christian Book Room, H.K. Third edition, 1970.; Das Gesetz des Aussatzigen German edition, 1957 & 1975.
• To the Parents of My Grandchildren; Third Edition: Aug. 1996; Bible Light Publishers, H.K.
  • @ STEM & BTP (Pb, audio)
    • pp: Christian Book Room, Sing.; German edition An die Eltern meiner Enkelkinder von einem Großvater, Neustadt Ernst-Paulus-Verlag, 2019.
• Unleavened Bread in Our Time booklet
  • @ BTP
• Wrecks on the Burma Road booklet
  • @ BTP
    • pp: Christian Book Room, Shanghai.

Anna Frances Willis

• Tales of the Middle Kingdom. Christian Book Room, H.K.
  • with G.C. Willis
• The Days of My Pilgrimage. Christian Book Room, H.K.
• The Days of the Years of My Pilgrimage Being Poems and Occasional Verse, Christian Book Room, Shanghai.

Helen Willis

• Through Encouragement of the Scriptures. Bible Light Publishers, H.K.

John S. Willis

• Esther. Unpublished, 1992.
  • w/ George Christopher Willis

W.A. Willis

• Unless A Grain of Wheat...: The Life of G. Christopher Willis I: A Study in Spiritual Fruitfulness, by W.A. Willis. ISBN: 978-0-557-29096-3. 2010 (Pb) & 2011 (PDF).
  • @ Lulu.com Pb or PDF.

Sources

• STEM Publishing
• Bible Truth Publishing
• Lulu.com
• Worldcat